Knockdown container



' KNOCKDOWN CONTAINER Filed May 7. 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Sepia. 18 1923. 9

I W. T. 5. BROWN KNOCKDOWN CONTAINER Filed May 7. 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Sept. 18, 1923.

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WILLIAM T. S. BROWN, QE EAST POINT, GEORGIA.

KNOCKDOEVN CQlVTiIIhlER.

Application filed May "I, 1921.. Serial 467,623.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM T. S. BROWN,

' a. citizen of the United States, residing at l mation and arrangement of thereto, in order that East Point, in the County of Fulton and State of Georgia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Knockdown Containers, 01' which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

The invention relates to containerso'f the type of which the parts are formed in such manner that they may be assembled and disassembled.

It is an object of the invention to provide a crate or box of that kind that is adapted to be made in various sizes ranging from those of small to those of large capacity.

Another object of the invention is so to form and proportion the parts that they may be easily assembled and disassembled into either a containeror a compact package for return shipment or storage.

A further object of the'invention is so to arrange the parts that they may be as sembled and disassembled without injury they may remain long in condition for repeated use and expense of providing a new container for every shipment or other purpose thereby avoided.

The invention, moreover, provides forparts that permit them to be heid together, both as a container and as a package, by a small number of fasteners, which are arranged so that they serve to maintain the parts together both in cOntainer and package assembly.

While the invention is exemplified herein as'applied to a wooden container, it also may be applied to containers ofmetal or other material.

lVhen considered in connection with the description herein, the characteristics of the invention willbe apparent fronr the accompanying drawings, forming part hereof, wherein embodiments of the invention in a crate are disclosed, for purposes of illustration. 7

.sllthough the disclosures herein exemplify what now i consideredto be preferable embodiments of the invention, it is to be understood that it isnot the intention to be limited necessarily thereto in interpretation of the claims,as modifications and adaptations within the limitsof the claims can be made without departing from the nature of the invention,

Like reference-characters refer to corresponding parts in the views of the drawings, of which Fig. l is a view of the crate in assembled condition;

2 is an outside view of one of the members constituting the top and bottom;

3 is an inside view 01 one of the end members; i

Fig. a is an elevation of the partition;

Fig. 5 is a view of battens of alternative form in open position;

F (3 is a view thereof in closed position;

Fig. 7 is a view, partly in section, of the parts in package form;

Fig. 8 is a. view oi a fastener; and

Fig. 9 is a section on the line 9-9, Fig. 1.

Havin more particular reference to the drawings, A (resign-ates end members, B side members, C top and bottom members, and D a partition.

Bis shown, the walls of members A, B, and C are formed 01 separated slats 9, but they also may be formed of abutting material or each wall of a single piece; and the partition is shown as a single piece of wooden materiaf. Any suitable material may be used, however, for the walls of the members and artition, the character thereof being governed by the size of the container, the uses to which it is to be put, and availability of material.

The members and partition preferably are rectangular in plan, and members that are positioned oppositely in the container are substantially identical, in order that they may be used interchangeably.

Each end member A has battens 10 constituting abutments secured on the inner side of its wall along the edge portions.

Each side member B has a batten 11 constituting an abutment near each end, the button being located so that the end portion of the wall projects therebeyond snfiicient Ty to seat against the inner side of a batten on an end member and to permit the side and end battens to be brought into abutment.

Each member C, either of which may be thetop or bottom in the assembled container, has at each end batten 12 constituting an abutmentlocated in a position corresponding to' the battens of the side members and arranged to be brought into abutment with .a batten of the end member with a projecting end portion of its wall resting against the innerside of the latter batten.

,tainer.

The walls of the side and top and bottom members have openings or seats arranged to receive headed retaining members extending from the edges of the partition D, whereby the latter is held in place. Preferably the retaining members are screws 13; The seats preferably are openings 14 large enough to permit the heads of the screws to be passed therethrough and narrower bevel-edge slots 15 extending therefrom and arranged to take the shanks of the screws and to have their bevel engage under the heads. It is of advantage to have the slots in the sides of the container extend downwardly from the larger openings of the seats, in order that, after the heads of the retaining members 13 are passed into the openings, they may be moved into the slots by pressins the partition downwardly.

The side battens, l0 and the walls of the end members and the battens 11 of the side members are formed with holes or passage ways 16, which are positioned so that those 0t abutting or opposite battens will be aimed both when the parts are assembled as a container and a package. The walls of the end members adjacent to their holes or passageways are formed with seats 17.

The holes or passageways and seats are arranged to receive, respectively, the threaded shanks 18 and hook-heads 19 of fastening bolts or members.

.Vhen the parts are assembled as a container, the bolts extend through rlined holes in abutting end and side battens and the ends 0t their books are disposed in the seats 17. The battens are drawn and held closely together by nuts 20, which bear against the inner sides of the side battens, the hookheads in the seats preventing the bolts from turning while the nuts are being turned,

The number oi. bolts it is necessary to use in a container depend upon its size and. the purposes for which it is to be used. iVith containers of small or medium size and with larger ones to hold comparatively light articles or material, four bolts usually are sufiicien't, one being disposed through each pair of abutting side and end battens midway between the top and bottom, as shown by the drawings. However, other numbers ofbolts may be used at eachot the tour side ends or corners of the con- For example, one may be located near the top and the other near the bottom of each corner. Holes in the battens, for

.the number oi? bolts to be used, are placed uniformly, s that, no matter which end of either side is placed with its batten in abutment with either side batten of an end member. the holes therein are alined.

The abutting sides of end and side battens may be straight as shown b r the views other than Figs. 5 and 6, or interlocking battens of a'torm such as'shown by those figuresinay be used. In the latter case, one of the battens, torexample a side batten 11, decreases in thickness from each end to its longitudinal center and from the outer to the inner edge, and the abutting batten 10" on the end member is shaped reversely on its abutting side. lVhen two such battens are brought together, the end batten wedges against the side batten and against the wall of the side member B and 'a reliable and firm joint thereby is atiordech The parts may be assembled to "form a container in any suitable manner. One method that may be. followed with advantage is to place ends f the two side members into engagen'ient with side battens of an end member and with those battens in abutment with those of the side members. Bolts then are placed in the holes o't' those battens, with the ends of their hooks disposed in the seats therefor, after which the nuts are turned loosely onto the bolts. The member-C that is to constitute the bottom then is placed with the projecting end portion otits wall at one end in abutment with the bottom batten of the end member and with that batten in abutment with the adjacent batten of the member C. Thereupon,

the other end member is brought into similar association with the bottom and sides, bolts are passed into holes at the last-tittedend, and the nuts oi both sets of bolts are tightened. It the partition is not to be used in the container, the latter now is ready to receive articles or material.

In the event the partition is to be used,

the retaining members 1 3 on the side edges thereof are brought into engagement with the seats in the side members either before or after the side members are associated with oneo'f the end members, the bottom member has its seats engaged by the retain-,

ing members on the bottom edge of the partition by longitudinal movement, and the other end member then is associated with the side and bottom members as previouslydescribed.

After the cont-ainer has been filled, the bolts at each end are loosened, an end of the member C that to constitute the top slipped under the top batten of one of the end members, the upper portions of the end members are sprung outwardly (that being permitted by the loosened bolts), and the end of the top member that then is free is pressed downwardly by the adjacent top batten otthe other end member and moved thereunder. The seats in the wall oi the members C are arranged so that their larger portions receive the heads otthe re taining members 13 on the upper edge of the partition prior to or at about the time an end of the top is passed under abatten of an end member, and the narrowed portions 7 of the seats extend longitudinally so that they move into engagement with the retaining members during the movement incident to bringing the end of the top member under the batten of the end member.

After both ends of the top are in position under the top battens of the end members,

members, and the end edges of the side, top,

and bottom members and the battens thereof are in contact, respectively, with the walls and battens of the end members, whereby inward collapse of the walls of the container is prevented. Such stresses as tend toward outward and inward displacements of this character are sustained without imposition of strains on the holding-bolts, which only are required by longitudinal effort to prevent outward displacement of the end members.

\Vhen a partition is in the container, and connected with the sides, top, and bottom as described, it acts as a strengthening means between the ends to prevent bending of the walls both inwardly and outwardly.

The top of the container may be removed .to permit discharge of the contents by reversal of the order of operations hereinbefore described for its placement, that'is, the bolts are loosened, the upper portions of the end members are sprung outwardly, one

end of the top is disengaged fromthe batten that has been holding it, and the top then is drawn from under the other end batten and from engagement with the upper partitionholding members. After discharge of the contents, the bolts again are tightened if the container is to be used immediately as such; or the remaining parts may be disassembled upon removal of the nuts and withdrawal of the bolts.

lVhen the parts are to be assembled into compact package form for shipment or storage, the partition is laid on the inner side of one of the end members between the battens thereof, one of the side or top or bottom members is placed with its battens down on that end member across the battens thereof that do not have bolt-holes, the other side, and top, and bottom members are placed thereon with the battens of two of them nested and witn the battens of the top one uppermost, and then'the other end member is laid on and between the battens of the member last previously placed. The end members are placed so that the bolt-holes thereof are alined. Two of the bolts then are disposed in each pair of alined holes with their hooks in engagement, and the nuts are tightened. The parts are thus held together by the bolts in a compact package from which they are not apt to be displaced during shipment or other handling.

It will be seen that the bolts serve to hold the parts together both when assembled as a container and in package form, for the first purpose the bolts being passed into the holes from the outer sides of the end members, and for the latter purpose from the inner sides thereof.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. As cooperable parts of a knockdown container, end members having abutments on the inner sides at the edge portions thereof; members arranged to be disposed between said end members with their end portions against the inner sides of said abutments and having abutments arranged to abut those of the end members, there being holes in. some of said abutments arranged to be alined; and bolts having hooks, each of said bolts being arranged to be disposed in alined abutment holes when the parts are assembled as a container whereby to hold the parts together, and each pair of said bolts being arranged to be disposed in holes of said end members with their hooks in engagement whereby to maintain the parts in package form. r

2. A package of container parts comprising end members having alined holes therein, between said members parts arranged to form other portions of the container, and bolts having hooks constituting heads, each pair of said bolts with their hooks in engagement being disposed in alined holes in said end members.

3. As cooperable parts of a knockdown container, end members having battens on the inner sides at the edge portions thereof,

two of oppositely-disposed battens having holes therethrough, members arranged to form other parts of the containerand to have their end portions seat against the inner sides of said battens and having battens arranged to abut them, two of said latter battens having holes arranged to be alined with those of the end members, one of said battens decreasing in thickness from its ends to its longitudinal center and from its outer to its inner side, and another of said battens being reversely shaped on its abutting side, and fasteners arranged to be disposed in said holes when alined whereby to hold the parts together.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

WILLIAM T. S. BROWN. 

